New Family-Owned Bakery In Edgewater Making Waves

Brianna Fenzl

2 years ago

The exterior of Edge of Sweetness Bakery, which recently opened in Edgewater. Courtesy of Brianna Fenzl

If you’re craving a new sweet spot in the Edgewater area, look no further. Edge of Sweetness Bakery (6034 N. Broadway) is a family-operated business that sells cakes, cookies and a variety of other sweets.

Owners Kate Merrill and Paige Tyler combined their baking and business geniuses to create the bakery — a business endeavor that has been nine months in the making.

“We’ve had a great opening, and we sold out the first day,” Tyler said

Patrons may recognize Merrill from Kate’s Cookies, as she is a regular vendor at Loyola’s farmers market. Tyler, who was closely associated with corporate business for a long time, previously worked at Homemade Sin Bakery, located in Lakeview Kitchen and Market.

Edge of Sweetness has a home-kitchen feel to it. With light woodwork behind the counter and a white tile backdrop, the sweet shop has a clean and crisp environment that’s both trendy and welcoming.

Merrill, who graduated from Loyola in 1996 with a nursing degree, baked cookies as a hobby.

On the other hand, Tyler attended The French Pastry School of Kennedy King College. Now, the duo bakes everything from scratch and Merrill said they try to use locally sourced ingredients.

What sets Edge of Sweetness apart from other cafes is the degree of neighborhood involvement and its commitment to the community. The bakery had volunteers from the Edgewater community design the architecture for the sidewalk cafe and do the bookkeeping. They also have a community book house, donated by another Edgewater resident, with the “take one, leave one” motto.

Edge of Sweetness also features a shared kitchen where start-up businesses rent out kitchen space for a fixed-monthly fee.

Their organic coffee flavors and nine loose leaf teas are available at affordable prices and their bakery items have been highly regarded, such as classic and specialty cookie avors, breads, muffins, dessert bars and fudge.

Merrill said the Ooey Gooey Butter Cake is a favorite among Loyola students at Kate’s Cookies at the farmers market. This statement dessert has a buttery cake-crust bottom topped with chocolate and coconut that melts in your mouth.

Rushes tend to be early in the morning, after school lets out and later at night. Edge of Sweetness has already picked up regulars who swing by on their way to the train for coffee and a sweet treat.

“I think, not surprisingly, we open at 7 a.m. and we have folks coming in picking up goodies to take to work,” Tyler said. “The customers run the gamut here.”

Edge of Sweetness has a bright future and they have plans for a sidewalk seating facing Broadway, but are in the midst of the permit process. Eventually, Edge of Sweetness plans to accept Rambler Bucks, making it even more student-friendly.